25034Oswestry_230686.jpg	25034 runs past the forlorn site of Oswestry Station on 23rd June 1986 with the 7J02, 1028 Bescot Up Yd-Blodwell Quarry ballast empties. Hard to believe this was once the headquarters of the Cambrian Railway! Most of the west Midlands area ballast came from East Midland quarries such as Nuneaton and Croft so the long trek to Blodwell was unusual to say the least. This was of course a regular Bescot Class 25 diagram until they were displaced by 31s.
25059CaldonLow_241186.jpg	Caldon Low quarry in Staffordshire was at the end of a rambling branch line from Leekbrook Junc and thence Stoke-on-Trent. Due to the gradients trains were worked in two portions from Leekbrook and here 25059 arrives with the first, 7K06, the 0907 from Longport Pinnox Sdgs, on 24th November, 1986. 
25173Annan_100287.jpg	A day trip to Dumfries on 10th February, 1987 was quite a trek from Warwickshire, but the Carlisle-Dumfries Speedlink was allocated a 25 and as this engine then worked Target 62 to Maxwelltown and then Powfoot it just had to be done. Here 25173 stands in the yard at Annan with 7T62 the 1200 Dumfries-Powfoot ICI trip.
25173WittonYd1_090886.jpg	The other end of the flow from Caldon Low quarry was at Witton Yard in Birmingham, where Tarmac unloaded roadstone. Here 25173 waits to depart with the 7L10 1020 to Longport on 9th August 1986
25176KirkbySummit_070984.jpg	One odd Speedlink trip working in the heart of MGR coal territory was Toton's Target 64 to the Metal Box Factory at Sutton in Ashfield. Here we see 25176 rejoining the main line to Pye Bridge at Kirkby Summit with the return 6T64 1129 to Toton Old Bank on 7th September 1984
25191KenilworthJn_141186.jpg	Up until the demise of Speedlink Banbury was served by a feeder from Bescot. By the mid eighties traffic to Banbury was sporadic but the loco was booked to trip from there to Fenny Compton for MOD traffic and Greaves Sdg for Cement as Target 45. Often the train would terminate and start at Fenny with just a call at Greaves but on 14th November 1986 there were empty UKF vans from Banbury back to Ince & Elton at the front of the consist as 25191 restarts from Kenilworth loop in my home town with the 6G55 1115 Banbury Yd-Bescot Down SS.
25193_25182AbbeyForegate_010984.jpg	No selection of Class 25 pics would be complete with the Cambrian passenger workings which saw pairs work Euston services forward from Wolverhampton. In the last season they were so used, 25193 & 25182 climbd away from Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury with the 1A46 1010 Aberystwyth-Euston on 1st September, 1984.
25195_25198Oakamoor_100585.jpg	The other traffic from Stoke-on-Trent using the line to Leekbrook Junc was sand from the BIS Quarry at Oakamoor, near Alton Towers. on the old North Staffs main line south from Leekbrook (and now preserved). This was a regular diagram for a pair of Crewe 25s until a change to air brake hoppers saw 20s then 47s until the traffic was lost. Here 25195 & 25198 wait at the quarry sidings with the 8F21 1240 departure to Springs Branch on 10th May 1985.
25196DawMill_090585.jpg	Bescot's Target 51 trip saw a 25 collecting household coal from Coventry Colliery at Three Spires Junc and also served Daw Mill Colliery and the Distillers sidings at Coleshill. On 9th May 1985 25196 passes Daw Mill with the 7T51 1450 Three Spires Junc-Bescot.
25302CaldonLow_100585.jpg	Another, I think very atmospheric, shot at Caldon Low shows 25302 backing in at Caldon Low on 10th May, 1985 with the 7K06 0705 Longport Junc-Caldon Low, ready for loading with stone for Witton Yard, Birmingham.
25037Berkswell_070886.jpg	The BOC plant at Ditton supplied oxygen to a number of locations around the country including the Austin-Rover complex at Morris Cowley. These ran as specials in MAP timings and here 25037 is seen with the return 6Z53 1427 Didcot-Ditton empties at Berkswell on 7th August 1986.
25235_25211AbbeyForegate_010984.jpg	25235 & 25211 at Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury on Saturday, 1st September, 1984 with 7J65, the 2153  Curzon Street-Penyfford Cement Sdgs, having been recessed from Friday evening. Another regular 25 working, this train was Class 56 hauled for a while before the traffic ceased.
25244MostynDock_200686.jpg	25244 shunts empty HKVs at Mostyn Dock on 20th June 1986. These were used for a flow of imported sulphur to the Associated Octel plant at Amlwch. On this occasion 25244 was working the 8L40 Chester Departmental trip, collecting cripples for Chester C&W Shops.
25244Stanlow_6686.jpg	The Shell complex at Stanlow was once a major traffic source for BR and the line to Helsby a sure place to catch class 25 action. Not any more of course! Here 25244 passes Stanlow on 6th June 1986 with the 6E93 1620 Birkenead Cavendish Sdgs-Whitemoor Yd Speedlink which it would work as far as Warrington.
25254Bescot_110886.jpg	One of the staple traffics in the West Midlands was steel. Bescot Yard served as a hub for traffic from South Wales, Scunthorpe and Teesside to local terminals, a role it still manages to perform today. There was also still steel production in the Potteries and here 25254 departs from a very wet Bescot Yard on 11th August 1986 with a 7L50 1305 Bescot Down SS-Shelton BSC special empties.
25254LangleyGreen_010786.jpg	Bescot's Target 48 was a Speedlink trip serving Rood End Yard at Langley Green and private sidings at Oldbury (Albright & Wilson), Langley Green (British Industrial Plastics), and Handsworth (Coopers Metals and Blue Circle Cement). On 1st July 1986 25254 worked 7T48, the 0650 from Bescot Yd and is seen here shunting the BIP Sidings.
25265HolyheadFLT_030387.jpg	Among the last workings for 25265 was a stint at Holyhead FLT deputising for a failed Class 08 on the Target 43 Freightliner Depot Shunt. 265 carried the unofficial name "Harlech Castle" and is seen here at Holyhead on 3rd March 1987. Withdrawal came at Crewe a couple of weeks later on 18th March.
25266TrenchCrossing_150585.jpg	One branch that may re-open soon is that from Wellington to the MOD depot at Donnington, near Telford, being promoted by the local council, the MOD and English Partnerships with a view to establishing a Telford Railfreight Terminal. Of course in the good old days this was a Class 25 duty and here 25266 negotiates Trench crossing on the branch with the 7T41 0830 trip from Bescot Yard on 15th May 1985
25266_313MadeleySJn_23686.jpg	Shell at Stanlow had a number of regular destinations served by specials running in MAP timings and activated by weekly notice as opposed to being in the WTT. Many of these were diagrammed for pairs of Crewe 25s right up until 1986. One such destination was Ironbridge Power Station and here 25266 & 25313 venture onto the branch from Madeley Junction with the 6L34 1120 Stanlow-Ironbridge PS on 23rd June 1986. 
25287_25278BhamIntl_080984.jpg	4M78 was the 1109 Saturdays only Freightliner from Leeds FLT which ran via Sutton Park and Bescot to Rugby, where the booked 5 vehicles were attatched to 4E76, the 1314 Trafford Park FLT-Tilbury RCT which called Rugby from 1532 to 1637 for that purpose. At Bescot a second 25 was diagrammed to be attached and these were then booked to run LD from Rugby to Bletchley HS at 1635. In practice up to three locos could work forward from Bescot and they could end up wherever required for Sunday ballast work. Here 25287 & 25278 speed through Birmingham International on 8th September 1984.
25903_25904HunsletEast_110387.jpg	Once a regular run, by March 1987 use of a pair of 25s on the Stanlow-Leeds oil circuit was very rare so the chance to get some shots was not to be missed! Here 25903 & 25904 head away from Hunslet East on 11th March, 1987 with the 7M35 1423 Leeds ORT-Stanlow empties
25904_25912CroesN_586.jpg	By the Summer of 1986 most booked 25 action was from Warrington on Speedlink trips and feeder services. A regular train to see a pair of 25/9s was the Arpley-Dee Marsh Speedlink feeder. This warranted a trip to Wrexham to catch 25904 & 25912 run past Croes Newydd North Fork signalbox prior to running round their 7D26 0625 Arpley Sdgs-Dee Marsh Speedlink on 22nd May 1986. 
25057Colton_110187.jpg	Weekend ballast programmes were another likely place to find a 25s out on a Sunday. On Sunday 11th January 1986 25057 had charge of the Stafford OHLM train at Colton north of Rugeley, having arrived as 6L83 2155 from Stafford Salop Sdgs and was due off site back to Stafford at 1500.
25059PeakForest_200387.jpg	March 1987 saw the end of Class 25 operations on BR and by the 20th just three were left. 25059 was shown on TOPS at Buxton allocated on "MR83". This was the Peak Forest area trip and shunt duty so off to Peak Forest we went where we see 25059 shunting the RMC sidings in a very wintery scene. 25059 was officially withdrawn at 1400 that day.
25072_25271Arpley_050984.jpg	In the classic view of the low level lines under Warrington Bank Quay station, 25072 & 25271 head the 6H33 1202 Widnes West Deviation Yd-Earles Sdgs on 5th September, 1984 with empty PCVs from the Blue Circle depot at Tanhouse Lane. The wagons would have been tripped to West deviation by the Class 08 working the T42 Widnes area pilot duty.
25173MaxwelltownStn_100287.jpg	Prior to the picture taken at Annan of 25173 on 10th February working the Dumfries local tripper, we caught it on the branch to the ICI plant at Maxwelltown. Here the return 7T62 1025 Maxwelltown-Dumfries Yd passes the old station site and BP oil terminal.
25176BrickyardCrossing_300986.jpg	Another duty synonymous with the 25s was the Camp Hill banker or Saltley's Target 57. By 1986 principal business was just the MGR traffic to Didcot Power Station. On 30th September we caught 25176 in action at Brickyard Crossing assisting 58020 with the 7V49 0925 Birch Coppice-Didcot PS.
25176WinsfordJnc_187.jpg	Another Sunday, 25th January 1987,  saw a search in the Crewe area for ballast trains and 25176 was found dropping ballast in the possession at Winsford Junction with the 9L64 from Gresty Lane.
25194CotonHill_280985.jpg	An emergency services excercise was apparently the reason withdrawn 25194 was stabled in Coton Hill Yard, Shrewsbury, on 28th September 1985 along with two condo Mark.1s - 7069 & 18887. 25194 was withdrawn from Crewe Diesel on 17th June 1985 and reputedly stayed at Coton Hill until the following August when it moved to Bescot where it remained in store until going to MC Metals in Glasgow in 1994 for breaking up.
25196DCLColeshill_090585.jpg	25196 was next caught shunting the Distillers Company's sidings at Coleshill on 9th May 1985 while working the 7T51 1450 Three Spires Junc-Bescot Yard Speedlink trip. The rest of it's consist sits out of sight on the main down running line.
25198ArpleyJn_200884.jpg	Another classic Warrington view sees 25198 at Arpley Junction on 20th August 1984 with the 7T65 trip from Speke Yard. In the background can be seen a trio of Class 40s,  40012, 40015 & 40118, stabled at Arpley HS.
25911Helsby_010586.jpg	In 1986 a day at Helsby in Cheshire would easily yield thirty or more freights in the camera. Nowadays three would be unusual... Arpley's Target 68 was the second of the two trips working between Ellesmere Port, Stanlow and the Warrington Yards with oil and chemical traffic. Here 25911 trundles through Helsby on 1st May, 1986 with the 6T68, 1740 Arpley Yard-Ellesmere Port trip.
25191Toton_300986.jpg	Toton Yard was never well served by Speedlink services as coal very much predominated. There was though a feeder service to Derby which served local terminals at Spondon and Beeston, by 1986 running as Target 23. On 30th September 1986 25191 was seen arriving at Toton with the 7T23 1400 Derby St Marys Yd-Toton.
25198_25195LeekbrookJn_100585.jpg	Looking north at Leekbrook Junction, 25198 & 25195 have just run round and head past the 'box towards Stoke-on-Trent on 10th May 1985 with the 8F21 1240 Oakamoor BIS-Springs Branch Junc.The line to the right was the Knotty main line from Uttoxeter to Macclesfield though Leek, with the branch to Caldon Low going off to the right behind the bracket peg.
25201_037Welshpool_24886.jpg	On 24th August 1986, 25201 & 25037 worked 1Z37, the 0439 Paddington-Pwllhel,which was F&W Railtours 
25211CreweStn_030984.jpg	A regular passenger turn for the 25s until the early 80s were the Crewe-Cardiffs via Shrewsbury and Hereford. On 3rd September, 1984 25211 leaves Crewe with the 1V04 1003 Crewe-Cardiff. The 25s were replaced by Class 33s on these turns shortly afterwards.
25244BankQy_060686.jpg	The UKF Fertiliser plant at Ince & Elton on the Helsby-Ellesmere Port line produced a fair volume of traffic in their distinctive pallet vans. One flow was the 6M60 2212 ThO Craiginches Yard-Ince & Elton which on 6th June 1986 had arrived at Bank Quay behind 81006 and was waiting to go forward using 25244.
25249WhitacreJnc_150883.jpg	Another long vanished flow was that of Cement from the Ketton Works to their terminal at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham. This was another long time 25 duty. Here 25249 passes Whitacre Junc with the 6M55 1121 Ward's Siding-Castle Bromwich Cement on 15th August, 1983..
25321_40135BankQy_200884.jpg	Before the closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks, a regular traffic flow was steel billets from there to Dee Marsh on Deeside. These were electric hauled from Mossend and diesels took over for the last leg from Warrington Bank Quay. On 20th August 1984 the very nice combination of 25321 & 40135 have relieved 86318 & 86319 at Bank Quay on the 6M23 1120 Mossend NY-Dee Marsh Junc.
25323Bangor_221086.jpg	Llandudno Junction's Target 92 was a Speedlink feeder worked by the Class 25 off the 7D14 0426 from Warrington Arpley. It served terminals at Bangor, Valley and Holyhead as required as well as shunting Llandudno Junc Freight Depot. Here 25323 departs from Bangor with two Tunnel Cement PCAs in tow as the 7T92 0950 Bangor FD-Llandudno Junction TC  on 22nd October, 1986.
25904MaentrwogFog_3287.jpg	The other Llandudno Junction revenue trip was Target 91, which ran to either Tranwsfynydd CEGB siding with nuclear flasks or to a siding at Maentwrog Road on the Trawsfynydd branch to collect explosives traffic from the ICI Nobel works at Penryhndeudraeth. On 3rd February 1987 we heard 25904 was allocated to 
25904NrBlaenau_287.jpg	As the weather has improved a little we set off to catch 25904, by now running as 7T91 1140 Maentwrog Road-Llandudno Junc TC, on this most scenic of lines. Here it is approaching Blaenau Ffestiniog. 
25034Kenilworth_051086.jpg	Living by the line in Kenilworth gives the opportunity to dash up to the old Kenilworth Junction if anything interesting goes into the loop heading north, or it did as this shot is now impossible with so much tree growth... On Sunday 5th October 1986 25034 was looped with the 8L02 1100 Leamington Yard-Bescot with recovered rail.
25034Whitacre_090886.jpg	As well as weekend ballasts, 25s were booked for many local weekday enginers trips. One such was Target 90, a Bescot DCE Ballast trip, which on 9th August 1986 was tasked with taking the "drain train" as the 8T90 1130 Washwood Heath-Nuneaton with 25034 the allocated power, seen here approaching Whitacre Junction.
25037_25034Over_W_110686.jpg	The short branch from Winsford Junction to Over & Wharton saw a short resurgence in the mid-80s with block trains of road salt to locations in Scotland as well as to Reading. After an illicit cab ride down the branch on 11th June 1986, we manged to photograph 25037 & 25034 berthing the 7Z49 empties from Mossend, albeit in appalling light.
25912BlaenauTn2_030387.jpg	3rd of March 1987 saw another trip to North Wales as 25912 was working the Maentwrog Road trip and the handfull of remaining Rats were on borrowed time. As there was no run round beyond Blaenau, practise was to propel from there. Here 25912 waits in Blaenau Ffestiniog for the guard to attend to crossing gates with the 7T91 0700 Llandudno Junc TC-Maentwrog Road. Doubtless he would be keen to get back to his cosy van where there was obviously quite a brew on!
25912PontyPandy_030387.jpg	Chasing off after 25912 we found, pretty much by chance, this idyllic spot at Pont-y-Pandy, where sheep on the line were somewhat hampering Tamworth Castle's progress with the 7T91 0700 Llandudno Junction-Maentwrog Road trip on 3rd March 1987.
25912atCenmaes_220287.jpg	25912 appeared on TOPS allocated to MC16, a ballast working off Machynlleth for Sunday 22nd February 1987. Enquiries revealed this to be loading ballast at Cenmaes Road to drop at a site towards Llanbrynmair. Into the car and off we went to secure shots of 25912 on the 9L16 0600 Machynlleth-Cenmaes Rd & 1210 return then home in time for lunch...!
25057Machynlleth1_040387.jpg	One famous 25 duty right up until the end was the weekly Shell oil train from Stanlow. Here 25057 runs into Machynlleth station on 4th March, 1987 with the return empties, the Wednesday's only 7F49 1528 Aberystwyth-Stanlow.
25059_25109Tallerdig_040387.jpg	The decision to go to mid-Wales for the Stanlow train was reinforced by the word that a pair of Rats were working a test train on the Cambrian. A spot on Tallerdig bank was in order to hear and see 25059 & 25109 thrashing up with the 1T20 1506 Machynlleth-Oxley Sdgs - Hellfire stuff!
25173Alsager_240986.jpg	Crewe had one local trip working that was still throwing up a 25 into 1986, despite being nominaly booked for a 31. Target 94 started the day taking spoil to the tip at Alsager, then after taking the empties back to Basford Hall, did a chemical trip to Sandbach. Here 25173 heads a short rake of ZHVs away from Alsager with the 8T94 0825 Alsager Tip-Basford Hall SS spoil empties on 24th September 1986.
25173Murgatroyds_24986.jpg	The second part of Crewe's Target 94 tripped to the Hayes Chemicals works at Sandbach, otherwise known as Murgatroyd's Siding. 25173 departs from Murgatroyd's  on 24th September, 1986 with 7T94, the 1007 trip to Basford Hall SS North.
25213HChaple2_25187.jpg	25213 stands in Holmes Chaple station on Sunday  25th January, 1987 waiting for a possesion to be given up to depart as 9L12 1600 to Shrewsbury Coleham Sdgs conveying the Viaduct Inspection Unit after a job at Dare Viaduct.
25224Berkswell_050783.jpg	Another of Bescot's DCE trips was Target 91 which worked as required for the Divisional Civil Engineer. Here 25224 trundles through Berkswell on 5th July, 1983, with an 8T91 1100 Rugby Yard-Bescot Yard trip with a motley collection of engineers wagons.
25244FennyCompton_190685.jpg	25244 departs Fenny Compton with the 6G55 1120 Speedlink to Bescot on 19th July 1985. The train started from Fenny as there was no traffic from Banbury that day. The five Speedlink vans would have been tripped down the branch from CAD Kineton by an MoD Thomas Hill shunter, often with an armed escort to deter photters and the odd terrorist. Fenny is still served by an EWS train from Didcot Yard and there is apparently still the odd terrorist around too...
25278BankQuay_060684.jpg	Not a substitute for Slow Speed 20s on a Fiddlers Ferry job but Warrington's Target 72. 25278 is backing a rake of HAAs into Bank Quay Sidings at Warrington having arrived with 6T72, the 0925 trip from Springs Branch on 6th June 1986.
25313_25249WashwoodHath_280986.jpg	25313 & 25249 head the 1Z30 0830 Euston-Liverpool - Hertforshire Railtours "Mersey Ratcatcher" charter, past Washwood Heath No.1 box on Sunday 28th September 1986. This pair worked from Euston via Leicester, Derby, Hope Valley and Manchester Pic to Liverpool where 25904 & 910 making a rare passenger outing worked via Runcorn, Frodsham and Chester to Crewe, thence 249 & 313 took over again for the return blast to Euston.
25323LlandudnoJunc_221086.jpg	Having worked Llandudno Junction's local Target 92 tripper in the morning, next duty on 22nd October 1986 for 25323 was 7F10, the 1520 Speedlink service to Walton Old Junc. After a torrential downpour the sun appeared in time to light the train as it departs from Llandudno Junction, if not the station in the background.
25145Banbury_17782.JPG	I am not a big fan of stationary portraits of locomotives (or "Roster" shots as the Americans call them), but I do like this nice study of 25145 sitting in the sun at Banbury Holding Sidings on 17th July 1982.
25175ThreeSpires_221182.jpg	Three Spires Junction yard on the Coventry to Nuneaton line was a hub for coal traffic, both from Coventry Colliery and to the adjacent Homefire smokeless fuel plant at Keresley. The branch to the Keresley site ran from the top end of Three Spires Yd and was worked by NCB locos. 25175 waits in Three Spires Junction Yard on 22nd November, 1982 while working Coventry's 
25181BankQuay_200686.jpg	25181 waits the road on the Down Slow line at Warrington Bank Quay on 20th June 1986 with the 6F32, 1705 Trafford Park Sdgs-Arpley Sdgs Speedlink service. The Warrington yards were a major Speedlink hub and even in 1986 25s could pop up on many of the local feeder trains.
25184BromfordBridge_080783.jpg	In the early 1980s domestic coal was still a fairly large traffic in the West Midlands. The yard at Washwood Heath serviced pits at Baddesley, Birch Coppice and Daw Mill and a concetration depot at Small Heath. Other traffic was tripped round to Bescot to go forward on Speedlink services. 25184 departs from the Bromford end on 8th July, 1983 with the 8T52 1415 trip to Daw Mill Colliery comprising empty HEAs for reloading.
25244ActonGrange_200686.jpg	The village of Moore south of Warrington was a favourite spot to while away the hours in the Summer of 1986. Just south of Acton Grange Junction, bridges over the WCML and the Chester line afforded a steady procession of freight trains to photograph. Add to that Roarers on the West Coast, Peaks on the Trans-pennines and the odd 25 on a parcels what more could you want? On 20th June 1986 25244 approaches Acton Grange with the 3L09 Chester-Manchester Victoria vans.
25259Coleham_280985.jpg	25259 shunts at Coleham Shelf Sidings, Shrewsbury on 28th September 1985 while working the 6L45 engineers trip from Gresty Lane. To differentiate their numbering, departmental trips in the North West of the LMR used reporting numbers with the letter "L" instead of the more usual "T" used by revenue trips. In the East & West Midlands and London Areas, the smaller number of trips meant all could be accomodated in the "T" numbering series for those areas, with only weekend ballast circular work using the "L" sequence.
25902LlandudnoJn_221086.jpg	25902 waits in the Tamper Siding alongside Llandudno Junc station on 22nd October, 1986 while working the 9L44 local Departmental Trip and Shunt. This Landudno Junction based tripper worked to the DCE's orders along the North Wales Coast on an as required basis.
25910BankQuay_060686.jpg	25910 had been allocated on the LV68 trip at Warrington on 6th June 1986, which was booked to shuttle from Arpley to Stanlow, so imagine our suprise when it appeared leaving the yard to the north on the late running 6P81 1005 Speedlink feeder to Preston Deepdale, comprising cement and coal traffic for the terminals there. No doubt a failure had lead to the change of allocations.
25910Helsby_010586.jpg	Another view of 25910 taken from the footbridge at Helsby on 1st May 1986 working the 7T74 1330 Arpley-Stanlow trip. Back in the mid 1980s there were two regular Speedlink trips using the Ellesmere Port line. Arpley's Targets 68 & 74 shuttled between Ellesmere Port, Stanlow and the Warrington Yards with oil and chemical traffic. A couple of years previously Target 74 would have been a Class 40 diagram.
25173MoldJunc_200686.jpg	An interesting traffic flow along the North Wales coast was petroleum coke from Humber Oil Refinery, Immingham to the RTZ aluminium smelter at Holyhead using distinctive hopper wagons. By the middle of 1986 25s were starting to be at a premium on this train but on 20th June that year we caught 25173 approaching Mold Junction with the 6E36 0738 Holyhead RTZ-Humber ORF return empties.
25191QueensHead_240986.jpg	Queens Head sidings at Handsworth, Birmingham had once stabled coaching stock for Snow Hill station but were later the site of of a Blue Circle Cement terminal served by block trainloads from variously Hope or Northfleet. Bescot's Target 48 was also booked to call there during the morning to shunt or take out cripples and we caught up with 25191 there on a dull 24th September 1986.
25211MoldJunc_200686.jpg	Having caught 25173 at Mold Junction with 6E36 on 20th June 1986, the next up working just 13 minutes later was 25211 with the Fisons weedkilling train, running as 7Z07 from Llandudno Junction to Chester. To make the hat trick, 25244 followed a minute later on the down as 0L40 1030 Chester DMUD-Mostyn Dock. Guess where our next stop was?
25283Northwich.jpg	Another "Roster" shot, this time 25283 sitting outside the old steam shed at Northwich on Saturday 25th August, 1984. Northwich was another depot with a long association with the rats, alas like so many now long gone.
25202WaterOrton_040585.jpg	The cooling towers of the long defunct Hams Hall power station can be seen behind 25202 as it approaches Water Orton East Junction on 4th May, 1985 with a short 4M78 1109 Leeds FLT-Rugby Freightliner. 4M78 is covered in more detail in a later caption. Here I will comment on the field full of spectators, sadly not the local Rat Appreciation Society but waiting for some funny red kettle that was booked through shortly afterwards... 
25057zLlandudnoJnStn_130387.jpg	The last chance to photograph 25057 was on 13th March 1987, just two days before withdrawal at Crewe. Having done 25912 on Target 91 ant Trawsfynned, we headed to Llandudno Junction in time to get 25057 arriving with the 7T92 1150 trip from Holyhead. It later worked forward with the 7F10 1530 Speedlink to Walton Old Junction.
25904zCastleton_200387.jpg	By the afternoon of 20th March 1987, only two Rats remained in traffic, 25904 & 25912. Having seen and photographed the last rites of 25059 at Buxton, we had news that 25904 was on Manchester Victoria HS and allocated 6Z39 to Crewe. Not having any idea what train that was we headed into Manchester, stoping on spec at Northenden Junction where the helpfull bobby showed us a months supply of SNs and let us wade through. Bingo! 6Z39 was a 1800 Castleton CMD-Eastleigh CWR train. A check at Man Vic saw 904 there, so we headed to Castleton where the loco arrived in sunshine. By the time 6Z39 was ready to depart it was snowing as can be seen on this shot, which at the time we thought was our last chance to photograph a 25 on the mainline...
25032NuneatonTV_120286.jpg	No feature on the class 25s could miss out Nuneaton. An important junction on the Trent Valley mainline it once paid host to marshalling yards and a loco depot. By the mid 1980s it still retained a train crew depot and holding sidings and the, albeit truncated, yards still featured heavily in the granite traffic from local quarries, much going for railway ballast use. One of those, Croft Quarry is on the Nueaton-Leicester line and still sends out rail traffic today. On 12th February 1986 25032 pauses at Nuneaton Trent Valley while working the 7K03 1030 Croft quarry-Crewe Gresty Lane loaded working.
25058Hartshill2_120286.jpg	Another of the originating points for railway ballast in the Nueaton area was at Hartshill. Here granite ballast was loaded in sidings off the WCML north of Nuneaton. Some traffic was tripped to Nuneaton TV but there were also up to three booked trains a day to Guide Bridge, Bletchley or Willesden. A visit on a rather chilly 12th February 1986 saw 25058 waiting while the 1624 departure to Guide Bridge, running as 7L42, was loaded.
25035Longford_120286.jpg	The Coventry to Nuneaton line was always primarily a freight artery serving local industry, particularly a string of local collieries. By the '80s though oil was a major traffic and remains so to the Murco sidings at Bedworth. A flow that was lost in 1986 was to the Charringtons terminal at Hawkesbury Lane. This was booked to run MSX and in it's later days was worked from Ripple Lane to Willesden by a Stratford 47 (SF47 diagram), forward to Coventry Goods by a Class 81/85 (AC200) then tripped to Hawkesbury by a Crewe Class 25 (CD304). The return empties used a similar method, CD304 to Coventry, AC200 to Willesden and SF65 to Ripple Lane. Here 25035 is seen on a wintery 12th February 1986 with the late running 6M43 0405 Ripple Lane-Charrington Sdgs on the climb past Longford - oh for a sound clip!